1. Field of the Invention
The claimed invention generally relates to imaging and, more particularly, to an imaging apparatus including a touch panel, a control method therefor, a program, and a recording medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
Small terminals provided with touch panels enable an intuitive operation when they are used in combination with graphical user interfaces (GUIs). There are commercialized digital cameras with touch panels mounted at their display units.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-136568 discusses an imaging apparatus configured to detect a main shooting target based on a touched position on a touch panel, perform exposure adjustment and focus adjustment according to the main shooting target, and capture an image of the main shooting target.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-212726 discusses an imaging apparatus configured to display a mark representing a shutter switch and a mark representing a zoom switch near a touched position on a touch panel, and capture an image at the timing when a user separates his/her finger from the touch panel. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-212726 also discusses that the zoom magnification is changed according to a movement of the touched position.
Imaging apparatuses can receive various types of operations, in addition to an operation for still image shooting. For example, as types of still image shooting, there are single shooting for capturing a single still image in response to a single full-pressing operation, and continuous shooting for capturing images at predetermined intervals as long as the switch is kept fully pressed. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-136568 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-212726 discuss techniques for performing the single shooting using the touch panels, but do not discuss a method or technique for realizing the continuous shooting. The conventional techniques are configured to capture an image or record an image in a recording medium at the timing when a user separates his/her finger from the touch panel, and therefore cannot introduce an operation corresponding to continuous full-pressing of the shutter button.
Imaging apparatuses using touch panels for a shooting operation are desired to be configured to allow users to select continuous shooting by a simple operation. Further, imaging apparatuses are desired to be configured to allow users to select continuous shooting by an easy operation when necessary.